Sowing Seeds Produces Spirit of Giving
December 26, 2011
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Mary Moody, left, and Vicki Brown show off some the of vegetables that came from the SSFL garden.
In need of having your spirits lifted during these difficult times? The story of Sowing Seeds for Life and what this La Verne-based charitable organization is doing these days should fit the bill.
This month’s second Sowing Seeds for Life toy and food giveaway was another roaring success. Hundreds of people showed up at DPI Labs at 1350 Arrow Highway in La Verne on Dec. 21 to get loaded up with needed groceries, plus children got toys and nick-knacks and all kinds of goodies – and a photo with Santa Claus.
The first Sowing Seeds for Life toy and food giveaways this month was the fourth annual SSFL “Christmas in the Park” event that drew some 3,000 people to Ganesha Park in Pomona on Dec. 3.
The appreciation of what Sowing Seeds for Life has been doing since 2007 can be seen on the faces of the people who attend the regular food giveaways held the first and third Wednesday’s of every month.
This week’s giveaway was special because it included so much more – Santa’s presence and toys. Plus there were more volunteers than usual on hand. They included students from Bonita High who made ornaments and other fun stuff for the children.
Maria Zarate of Pomona brought along her three daughters, Adamaris, 4, Anahi, 7 and Alitza, 4. Her family is struggling, but the strain that could be seen on Maria’s face softened as the smiles on her daughters’ face grew.
Donations, sponsors and volunteers have turned this non-profit organization into possibly the most significant one of its kind in the East San Gabriel Valley. It feeds about 6,000 needy people per month.
The donations, miraculously, never stop. On Dec. 22, 28 pallets of water from Arrowhead arrived at DPI Labs for future SSFL giveaways.
The driving force behind SSFL is its founder and CEO, Glendora “Wonder Woman” Vicki Brown, founder and CEO of Sowing Seeds for Life, or SSFL, a charitable non-profit organization.
Brown is also the CEO and president of DPI Labs, a multimillion-dollar aerospace company in La Verne. That’s why DPI was the site the Dec. 21 event and is also the site of the SSFL food bank that hands out needed goods the first and third Wednesday of every month. SSFL, which also has several satellite pantries at various locations and locations throughout the month, gives award about a million pounds of food per year.
SSFL has grown from a small garden project in 2007 into what it has become.
The charity also operates a community farm at Falcon Ranch, a 45-acre spread owned by John Defalco in the foothills of San Dimas Canyon.
SSFL volunteer Mary Moody is responsible for the farm and brought along bushels of vegetables that were given away Dec. 21. Moody is also largely responsible for getting SSFL off the ground. In the beginning, she arranged for her church group, the New Hope Network of Living Face Fellowship of Glendora, to make a $500 donation, a very significant gesture.
These days, a major fundraiser for SSFL is its annual celebrity golf tournament. The first three were held at Sierra La Verne County Club. The fourth is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, at Glendora County Club.
The last two years, the golf tournament has drawn some of the biggest names in sports, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, James Worthy, Bill Sharman, Jim Harrick, Dodger legends Bill Russell, Tommy Davis and Al Downing, and legendary horse racing announcer Trevor Denman.
For further information or to make a donation, call DPI Labs at 909 392-5777.
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